With the best POS system for food trucks, fast food vendors working from mobile restaurants can access simple and effective tools for managing transactions.
A point of sale solution makes it quick and simple to take a range of payments through various methods, including chip-and-pin and contactless or mobile payments.
For food trucks, the ideal POS needs to be something flexible, easy-to-use, and brimming with helpful features, like order tracking or inventory management tools.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at some of the most popular point of sale solutions, offering both the hardware and software functionality business leaders need to make a profit in today’s marketplace. Let’s get started.
Best POS Systems for Food Trucks
- Shopify POS
- Square
- Toast
- Touchbistro
- Clover
Shopify is one of the most powerful ecommerce sales tools on the market today. The perfect solution for smaller companies hoping to make the most of their online store and offline customers, Shopify can help business leaders set up a thriving food truck company in no time.
For restaurant companies on the move, Square POS is one of the most powerful tools around. Combining inventory tracking functionality with access to online store building, Square for Restaurants is the perfect solution for food service companies on the move.
1. Shopify POS
Shopify is one of the world’s most popular tools for ecommerce (online selling). Offering the perfect combination of flexibility and ease of use, Shopify is a good choice for all kinds of business leaders.
Unlike most online sales solutions, Shopify specializes in helping companies to build a wide range of stores, selling a variety of products and services.
You can access a range of in-built tools with Shopify POS to help you run your food truck, but there are also countless add-ons available and integrations with specific bonus features. Some of the best capabilities of Shopify include:
- Flexibility: You can build any kind of business with Shopify, including a food truck company. There are tons of integrations to make running a mobile food brand easier.
- Ease of use: Shopify is extremely easy to use, and there’s a community of fans out there to offer additional assistance to anyone who needs it.
- Inventory tracking: Tracking your inventory is simple with Shopify, thanks to a range of built-in tools for shop management. You can even track future needs.
- Multiple payment options: Being able to accept multiple modes of payment is important for a food truck company. You’ll have a range of convenient options with Shopify.
For hardware in your food truck, you can also access a range of fantastic tools, including card readers, starting at a price of only $29 and iPad retail bundles for $219.
Pricing
Shopify POS costs depend on exactly what kind of online and offline functionality you’re looking for. You need a plan with Shopify to access the POS functionality, which means at a minimum you need the Lite plan at $9 per month.
Shopify’s full POS solution then starts at $89 per month with access to a range of tools for managing your food service business.
Pros 👍
- Access to a built-in CRM system with customer information tracking
- Online and offline support for quick and simple transactions
- Excellent customer support and service for small businesses
- Fantastic range of payment options
- Easy to use if you’re familiar with Shopify
Cons 👎
- Requires a Shopify website-building plan
Who is it best for?
If you already have a website for your store, or you want a convenient and flexible solution or selling online and offline, Shopify is a great choice. The range of integrations makes it an excellent pick for all kinds of businesses.
Further reading 📚
2. Square for Restaurants
Square is one of the world’s best-known payment processing solutions. The restaurant solution is a specific selection of tools built for food service businesses. The all-in-one restaurant POS system gives you everything you need to run your business, from click and collect delivery options, to team management, and a customer directory.
Great for all kinds of food businesses, Square for Restaurants comes with a host of third-party integrations and API access to help customize your store too. Features include:
- Order management: Order management tools with connections to leading applications like Deliveroo and Uber Eats, with click and collect delivery.
- Growth features: eGift cards, marketing and loyalty features built into your existing ecosystem, to help increase sales.
- Flexibility: Add integrations and API solutions to build the tools you need into your Square environment quickly and easily
- Insights: Keep track of all kinds of information with a customer directory, 24/7 support, and a variety of team tracking tools.
There are plenty of hardware options to choose from, including restaurant-grade stations, Square Register, kits, cash drawers, receipt printers, and accessories. Pricing starts with readers at around $49 whereas you can build a comprehensive POS terminal for $299.
Pricing
One great thing about Square is the POS software is actually free to use, with no monthly subscription costs, but you’ll need to pay for any hardware you’re going to be using, as well as transaction processing fees. You’ll pay around 1.75% for processing chip and contactless payments, while orders are charged at 2.5%.
Pros 👍
- Fantastic customer service with online and offline support
- Range of integrations and API access
- Lots of hardware customization options
- Free plans with no commitments or contracts
- Plenty of business insights to help with tracking data
Cons 👎
- Some hardware limitations
- Can be expensive with certain tools and hardware
Who is it best for?
Square POS for Restaurants is a great solution for companies searching for a focused restaurant management tool. You get more than just payment processing with this solution – companies can access a comprehensive offering for all-in-one business management.
Further reading 📚
3. Toast POS
Toast is a number one point of sale, ranked in 2021 as the leading restaurant solution on the market. This solution comes with access to leading 24/7 support, exceptional reliability and a convenient offline mode, so you can continue to manage your food truck when you’re on the move. You can even access a range of powerful analytics for insights into how to grow your business.
Toast POS is particularly fantastic for food trucks because it offers packages for specific kinds of food service business. For instance, food truck companies can access features like:
- Mobile and offline access: Update your menu and make a range of changes to your ecosystem with the Toast POS environment. You can keep your business moving wherever you are.
- Stay connected to customers: Loyalty, email marketing, and online ordering functionality means you can build reliable customers even on the move
- Range of hardware options: Hardware solutions include fantastic guest-facing displays so guests can customize their food on the move.
- Lots of useful insights: Cloud-based reports give you fantastic insights into your business in real-time.
Toast even offers a range of online resources for beginners to help with getting your business up and running for the first time. You can build your own hardware package
Pricing
Pricing for Toast depends on the kind of functionality you need. There’s a basic solution for up to 2 terminals which costs $0 per month for beginners. Alternatively, you can unlock the “Essentials” for $165 per month or get custom pricing.
Pros 👍
- Excellent solutions for on-the-move selling with offline functionality
- Range of hardware options available
- Free version of the software for beginners
- Lots of useful reporting tools and insights
- Customer information for building loyalty
Cons 👎
- Can be quite expensive for some smaller food trucks
Who is it best for?
If you need an ultra-flexible solution built specifically for food service companies, Toast is an excellent choice, with lots of convenient features, including offline tracking and selling. You can even integrate with a range of tools.
Further reading 📚
4. Touchbistro
Definitely one of the top food truck POS system options on the market today, Touchbistro is a tool specially designed for the food service industry. With this comprehensive tool, your food truck business can access everything from loyalty programs to gift cards, and credit card transaction tracking. The point of sale system can even offer comprehensive sales reports.
With Touchbistro, you can also access a range of customizable integrations, making it easier to track more of the right information in one space. You can link to QuickBooks and other tools, while still accessing various convenient tools for kiosk and menu management. Features include:
- Menu management: Control menu items, keep track of your transactions, and make sure you’re ordering plenty of the right inventory in one convenient place.
- Extensive reporting: Business owners can track a number of important metrics, from back office performance KPIs, to credit card payments over time.
- Customer management: Manage comprehensive customer profiles, customer loyalty programs and more in an easy-to-use environment.
- Employee management: Keep a close eye on all of your team members, even in a smaller food-truck style business.
You can access various hardware options from Touchbistro, including a kitchen printer and kitchen display system, or a simple mobile POS system for your food truck. You’ll need to contact the team for prices tailored to your needs.
Pricing
The TouchBistro pricing structure starts with a package at $69 per month, but you’ll be better off contacting the company to get a quote tailored to your specific needs. This quote can include access to various hardware tools.
Pros 👍
- Excellent mobile point of sale system for your food truck business
- Customizable reporting and analytics options
- Convenient range of services specifically for food service companies
- Customer and employee management in one place
- Easy-to-use back-end
Cons 👎
- Lots of features to get used to
- Can be a little expensive at first
Who is it best for?
If you’re looking for an ultra-flexible point of sale system for restaurant and business management, then TouchBistro is an excellent choice. You can manage everything from menus to orders in one convenient place.
Further reading 📚
5. Clover
A fantastic mobile point of sale system with Android and iOS apps, Clover keeps your team productive on the move. If you want an iPad POS that can continue to track information without a Wi-Fi or internet connection, this is the tool for you.
Food truck owners can even integrate a range of valuable tools for keeping track of crucial information, like QuickBooks.
For a mobile food truck, Clover offers a range of convenient POS features. The solution can integrate with various payment processors to streamline transactions, and it helps you to keep track of your inventory too. There are even various POS hardware options to choose from. Features include:
- Extensive reporting: keep a close eye on all of your payments from credit and debit cards in one place. The custom reports are great for convenient insights
- Online ordering: if you want to give your food truck customers more options, the POS app supports online ordering with contactless payments.
- Various payment options: Accept a range of payments using everything from credit and debit cards to gift cards and mobile wallets.
- One-touch transactions: Food truck owners can make transactions simple with convenient one-touch options and multiple payment methods. There’s also one-touch tipping
Pricing
Pricing for Clover depends on what you actually need for your food truck business. The basic pricing starts with 2.3% transaction fees plus 10 cents for each transaction. There are extra costs associated with POS hardware like an iPad stand or cash drawer.
Pros 👍
- Easy to use environment ideal for all kinds of users
- Lots of customizations to suit different business needs
- Scalable to cover multiple environments at the same time
- Lots of features for loyalty and customer relationship building
- Lots of mobile hardware options
Cons 👎
- Can be complicated to set up at first
- Transaction fees can be quite expensive
Who is it best for?
Clover was specially designed with the needs of smaller service-based food companies in mind. If you’re looking for a compact solution for your food truck, Clover could be just the convenient service you’ve been searching for.
Further reading 📚
The Best POS for Food Trucks
There are plenty of great POS solutions out there for modern trucks looking to process payments quickly and conveniently. The right tool for you will depend on the exact functionality you need.
Some tools can integrate with social media and websites, while others make it easier to track customer loyalty and inventory in one place.
Make sure whatever POS solution you choose comes with access to the right touch screen hardware for managing payments on the move and be careful to check all the factors which contribute to the monthly fee. This means considering transaction as well as subscription fees.
With custom POS solutions out there for everyone from owners of coffee shops, to pop-up restaurant leaders, there’s bound to be a food truck POS that’s right for you.
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